The conventional methods for providing water heating, water distillation and space heating, particularly for residential use, require three separate appliances performing similar but separate jobs. The use of multiple separate appliances requires an excessive amount of energy, much being lost in unrecovered heat. Even with the introduction of energy efficient individual appliances in recent years, the continued practice of maintaining separately functioning appliances continues to mean wasting large amount of heat and energy. In addition, although manufacturers of space heating furnaces and water heaters continue to try to design more energy efficient and long lasting units, such advances in design often lead to units having prohibitively high initial cost.
In my previous patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,571, issued Sept. 12, 1978, which is incorporated herein by refere disclosed a water distiller of the boiler-condenser type for on-line purification of water. As described therein, the unit consists of a relatively slender boiler with an internal diffuser screen, which functions to transmit heat from an electric heating member to the water, while minimizing water turbulence as distillation proceeds.
I have now developed an integrated system which combines features of my water distillation apparatus with additional water heating and space heating capabilities.